Summer With the Grangers
by Gigagurl1
Summary: The summer before the start of Sixth Year was supposed to be a hot one. What happens when Draco is sent to spend the summer in the Granger household?


**Chapter 1: Strange Days at 73 Birch Court**

Hermione jumped wildly on the bed, swinging her hair around, and singing into her hairbrush. Anarbor was blaring loudly from her stereo, and Crookshanks was sitting as calm as a baby with a blanket on the foot of the bed.

This was not an uncommon sight in the Granger household when school was out of session for the summers; Hermione, despite her eagerness to learn all she could about the wizarding world, loved her simple, muggle, void-of-magic life. She was able to be more herself there than she was able to at Hogwarts. There were fewer rules and less people to tease her, judge her, and do whatever it took to grind her nerves. The simple fact of the matter was that she had two sides to her: goody-two-shoes Granger and rock out-to-music-on-a-Saturday-afternoon Hermione. She was what she was, and she hated hiding it, but she hated more the taunts and names.

"And I'll be counting the days that the sun goes past with the clouds, beneath my feet," she sang loudly and slightly off key. She didn't really care that her voice wasn't the best, or that by the time she was finished she would be red faced and out of breath, or that Draco Malfoy was watching her from her doorway, or that Crooksh-

Wait. What?

She stopped jumping and snapped her head in the direction of the sliver-blond haired boy leaning against the doorway. He stood with the breezy coolness of the first day of fall and wore the same devil-may-care smirk he had worn for probably his whole life. He didn't seem like he was out of his element or even surprised at Hermione's wild behavior.

She, on the other hand, was _very _surprised that he was standing there. She blinked several times in an attempt to dispel what she thought was a hallucination, but when his image didn't disappear, she hopped carefully off the bed and walked straight up to him.

"May I ask just why you've come to plague my summer?" she asked. Her voice was low and shaking with frustration and her fingers were clenched tightly around the hairbrush she had just been singing into. His grin grew wider and he pushed off from the doorway, leaning in closer to her. He didn't answer at first, and could see the discomfort building in her.

"Answer me, Malfoy!" she finally shouted, stamping her foot. He gave a short chuckle and brushed past her further into the room, giving it a better look.

"I like the arrangement you have here, Granger," he said, picking up a figurine of a small dog from the top of her dresser and turning it around in his hands. "Very nice indeed. But to answer your question, I needed a place to stay for the summer and this is where I was put."

"Yeah, and my middle name is Clyde," she said, storming over and snatching the little dog away and returning it to its spot. He simply raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, and she shot him a death glare, grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the doorway. "You. With me. To the kitchen. Now." She spoke through gritted teeth, leading him rather roughly out into the hall and to the stairwell.

"Well then, Granger," he started, the smirk still playing at his lips. "You're very forward, aren't you?" He gave another of his short chuckles, though she ignored the comment and continued to drag him to the kitchen where she knew her mother would be.

"Mother," Hermione said through still gritted teeth. Her eyes were fierce with anger and she hoped that her mother had a very finely orchestrated explanation for _his_ presence.

"Yes, Hermione dear- Oh!" she said, turning around and seeing her daughter tightly gripping the blond boy's arm. "Draco, you've arrived already! I wasn't expecting you until around dinner; Cissy must have been a bit anxious to leave then, I suppose. " She had been washing dishes, so she dried her hands on a towel and gave the boy a light hug.

"It seems then that you and Hermione have already met then. No introductions necessary, then. Now what is it that you wanted to tell me, dear?" she said, turning back to her daughter. Now, instead of anger, Hermione's face was riddled with confusion, and disbelief.

"What is going on here?" she said quietly, dropping Draco's wrist and plopping into the closest kitchen chair. She looked from her mother to Draco and back again several times before finally keeping her eyes trained on Draco. He was rubbing the feeling back into his wrist and looked up to see her shocked expression, which made him grin. He had purposely gone to what he assumed to be her room first just so that it would freak her out.

_Mission Accomplished. _He thought, winking at her. The surprised look instantly vanished from her face, replaced by another angry scowl.

"Well dear," her mother started rather sheepishly as she wiped her hands on a dish towel. "His mother and I were good friends when we were young, and we thought it time for our children to meet and have the same kind of friendship we had."

Hermione stared blankly at her mother as if she could even comprehend the words she had just said. Her mother and Narcissa Black-Malfoy were friends? No, not possible in any realm of belief or possibility. She did not, believe it, nor was she sure that she would ever.

"Oh, really?" Hermione said, leaning her head on her hands and giving her mother a skeptical look. "That's sounds about right. I'm just going to go back to my room now and pretend this never happened. Maybe then I will wake up and know it was all some terrible dream." She stood up suddenly and began to walk out of the room when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked up to find Draco staring down at her with his steely gray eyes.

"Not a dream, Hermione," he said with an eerie calmness. For a second, she thought she was hurt in his eyes, but it was gone before she could confirm. He let go of her and she stood rooted to the spot, unable to look him or her mother in the eye.

"Fine then," she said, crossing her arms and sighing. "You obviously weren't expecting him until later _Mother,_ so what shall _you_ have him do in the mean time?" Hermione's mother smiled a slightly mischievous smile and took her wallet from her back pocket.

"You will be showing Draco around the city," she said, giving Hermione a fifty pound note and soft pat on the back. "Remember to take your key and be back before dinner." She gave Hermione a slight push in the direction of the side door, and flash Draco a smile. "Have fun!"

Draco followed Hermione to the door keeping close on her heels. They walked down the street in silence for a moment before she stopped suddenly, almost causing him to run into her.

"Forget something, Granger?" he asked, grinning slightly. She whipped around to face him, her eyes full of frustration at the situation.

"Listen, Malfoy," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "Anything. _Anything at all_, and you will be a very dead man." He opened his mouth to reply, but her eyes were so fearsome with warning that he shut it quickly and simply nodded. He was thinking however, that she looked very different when she was angry. Beautiful, almost.

'_Oi, what?' _a little voice inside of him said.

'_What?' _he thought back, unsure of what was wrong.

'_Beautiful, really? Are you sick or something?'_

'_What?'_

'_Oh, nevermind.'_

He was snapped out of his trance and saw that Hermione was already twenty feet ahead of him, and seemingly unaware that he was not following. He walked quickly to catch her; he was in an unfamiliar place, and if he were to lose his guide, then he would be screwed.

They walked for a little longer before stopping in front of a large building. It was a clothes shop, with a small window display and sign proclaiming 'Buy one get one free on all fashion belts!' and Hermione went inside without saying a word. Seeing that he wasn't following, she came back outside and dragged him in behind her.

"Wait here," she told him, her voice flat. She let his wrist go and disappeared behind some racks of clothes. He looked around, examining the inside of the shop, and trying to find where she disappeared off to. As is the Malfoy nature, Draco moved from his spot as soon as he lost sight of her. He began to flick through the shirts on a rack, thinking of ways he could make this summer as enjoyable as possible, living in the same house as 'Good-two-shoes' Granger. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear when Hermione returned, chattering amiably with someone else.

"Yeah, so I am home for the summer, and I was just wondering if you would like to hang out. I mean, we hardly ever see each other anymore." She was talking to a boy about their age, and had on a smile that would shame the sun. The boy had slightly wavy brown hair tucked neatly behind his ears, and he stood similar to Draco when he was feeling particularly charming. He was slightly taller than her, though not as tall as Draco, and he though he looked a bit on the skinny side, the strong quadriceps showing from his shorts suggested otherwise.

"That would be great, actually," the guy replied, giving Hermione a kind smile. "I miss you all year and then I barely see you over the summer; why wouldn't I want to hang?" Draco could see by Hermione's reaction that that was _exactly_ what she wanted to hear. Feeling a twinge of jealously at being left to wait while she flirted with some guy, Draco walked over; hands in his pockets, and with a confident smirk.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" Draco asked, sidling up to Hermione. She turned to him and gave him a strange expression—a bit of surprise at the fact that she had almost forgotten him, and a little bit of guilt (for what she didn't know). She quickly recovered though, and the same, expressionless face and voice that she had used with him for the past 20 minutes returned.

"Malfoy, this is Austin Drage," she said, flashing Austin a somewhat strained smile. "Austin, this is Draco Malfoy, a friend from school who is staying with my family for the summer." She watched on in annoyance as they shook hands, until she noticed that they had not let go even after a few seconds. There seemed to be a tension in the air, and Draco and Austin were having a silent and rather scary staring contest.

"Oh, come on! Don't stare him to death, Malfoy," Hermione said, snapping her fingers in front of his face and breaking the concentration.

"Hey," Austin said, looking away at him and turning back to her. "I'm free tonight, so why don't I come over for dinner. I'm sure your parents won't mind." Hermione's face brightened instantly, and she smiled.

"Yeah that sounds great! I'll call them in a bit to tell them you're coming over," She looked Austin straight in the eyes, and for a moment, Draco saw a Hermione he'd never seen before. She looked so happy, and the thought sent a small tingle to the base of his spine. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so… different than usual, but he knew that he would definitely like to see that smile again.

"Cool; I can't wait," Austin replied, reaching out his hand to brush a stray hair off of her face. She hadn't even noticed it had come to rest there, but the feel of his fingers against her skin sent a slight shiver up her body. She blushed a little, and turned from him, heading back to the entrance of the store. Draco was close behind, and just after she walked out, but he was still in, Austin called to him to stay for just a few seconds longer.

"Listen," Austin said, his eyes changing from the soft hazel they were with Hermione to a fierce, deceptive green. Draco just there coolly, matching his gaze with an equally cold one. "I want you to know that Hermione is mine. She always has, and she always will. Only I can make her into a woman; even if you tried, you would fail."

"Is that a challenge?" Draco asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question. "I don't care what you do with Granger. She isn't my responsibility."

"Huh, well then you won't mind then," Austin said, his voice returning to the friendly tone it had been when he had been talking to Hermione just moments before.

"Whatever," Draco replied waving his hand dismissively as he walked outside. However, his interest had been piqued by what Austin had told him. It was strange that this guy whom he'd just met would get so defensive. As far as Draco was concerned, it was Hermione's decision of whether or not she "chose" him or Austin; it wasn't as if he himself had any stake at her heart.

As he quickened his pace to catch up to her, he cast the conversation from his mind. He shouldn't be worried about her; she was nothing but a house to stay in for the summer.

"So where exactly are we going?" He asked, as he fell into step with her. Either she didn't hear him, or she was ignoring him, because she stayed silent and only continued to walk.

"I asked you where we were going," he said again, louder this time. She simply walked on as if she hadn't heard a thing.

"Granger," Draco said, his voice a mixture of annoyance and slight worry. "Are you listening to me at all?" He finally stepped in front of her, holding her shoulders to stop her movement. She looked up at him, first in confusion, then in realization.

"Oh, sorry," she said, gently pushing his hands off. "Just thinking about stuff." She gave a small smile and walked around him again, keeping her pace slow so that he could keep up.

"We're going Downtown," she told him, pointing to a large clump of buildings that didn't seem too far off now. "It's pretty much the center of all activity in the city. Shops to buy clothes, food, toys; pretty much anything you want."

"So it's like a muggle version of Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade?" Draco asked, dropping his voice so as not to raise suspicion. Hermione nodded her head, and began to walk a little faster. They could hear the sounds of the hustle and bustle of Downtown.

Draco watched Hermione out of the corner of his eye. What had she been thinking about? He had never known her to be any other way. He knew she was the brains behind all of the Golden Trio's fantastical schemes and adventures; sure Harry Potter was the hero, and Weasley his treasured sidekick, but she was the mastermind of it all. He both admired and hated her for that very reason. She could as well be in Slytherin if she…well, if she wasn't what she was.

"Hey Hermione!" a voice broke his trance as he looked up to see a girl bouncing towards them from across the street. They had entered a fairly busy area, and he could see what Hermione meant when she said Downtown was the center of all activity. He looked at her to see that she had ignored the girl, but this time, he could tell that she was doing it on purpose.

"Avoiding someone?" he asked, his voice low as he bent in to speak to her.

"Yeah, just keep walking and act like you didn't hear a damn thing," Hermione whispered through gritted teeth. Her hope was that the girl would just stop calling to her, thinking that she had gotten the wrong person. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that persistence was a trait that the girl was known for.

"Hermione Jane Granger!" the girl said, slightly out of breath as she stepped in front of her and Draco, blocking their path. Hermione looked at her in surprise, as if she had no idea who the girl was and was utterly appalled that she would just step into her way.

"Um, hi. Do I uh… know you?" Hermione asked, cocking her head to the side. She knew Draco would have no problem of playing the clueless companion as he did not know the girl at all, and could only let his imagination run as to why Hermione was ignoring her.

"Uh, hello?" The girl tapped Hermione's head with her forefinger and gave a small, somewhat forced smile. "Zoë Marshall, we've only known each other for, like, seventeen years. Don't tell me you've forgotten me while you at that little boarding school of yours." The girl put her hands on her hips and gave a little pout as she surveyed Hermione.

"Oh! Zoë Marshall! I do remember you!" Hermione said giving a smile that Draco could tell was obviously faked. It wasn't a smile, so much as it was a a way to keep Hermione from spitting on the girls face. She had known who the girl was and had wanted to avoid her from the start, but he figured the girl knew that as well and still wanted to say something anyways.

"I saw you walking and I was just like, 'Oh my gosh! That's Hermione Granger; I MUST go and say hi.' And then I saw that you had brought a friend along, too." She was hinting that Hermione should introduce her to Draco; obviously was not one of her strong points.

"Zoë, this is Draco Malfoy. Malfoy, this is Zoë Marshall," she motioned to him, shooting him a look that said, 'If you make this anymore worse than it already is, you will suffer for it later.' Draco merely smirked in response and gave a quick nod of his head to the girl.

"Hey," he said, his voice barely audible. He too didn't feel like talking to the girl. She was too peppy for his tastes. That and the fact that he didn't want to test Hermione's patience. "Not to be a party pooper or anything, but we need to go." Hermione shot him a look of surprise; was he actually siding with her on this, and not sticking around to make her life horrible?

"Yeah, it's been fun, Zoë, but we have to do some shopping before going back home. It was nice catching up with you though," Hermione said, returning to the fake smile. She began to walk off, when she heard Zoë calling her back.

"I'm having a party this weekend, how about you drop in for a bit? It would give you time to catch up with everyone."

"Sure thing, Zoë. We'll be there," Hermione shouted back, not bothering to look back at the girl. She rolled her eyes at Malfoy, who gave a small smirk. In truth, she didn't find the idea even remotely interesting.

"I think we _should_ go," Draco said suddenly after a few moments of walking in silence. He knew this surprised her because of the way her head snapped in his direction, her brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"It's something you do when someone you don't like invites you to a party," Draco said smugly, remembering one of the lessons his mother had taught him.

'_They want to embarrass you, Draco. That is their primary goal in doing such things as these. All you have to do is show up and show them that they are wrong; that you are the life of the party, and that you are not some sniveling low life with nothing to show for yourself but your a privileged name. You steal the show. '_

"It is something my mother taught me," he told her, waving his hand dismissively. "You make them see that you are not weak, and _you_ instead embarrass _them_." Hermione looked at him incredulously.

"I hate to say this," she said, trying to hold back a conspiratorial smirk. "But that actually sounds like a good idea."


End file.
